Authentic
by Waffleness
Summary: "This is a mess. If anything, I thought I would be the one in the hospital!" "Ugggh…" This time, Maya keeps Phoenix company while he recuperates. Set directly after T


"This is a mess. If anything, I thought I would be the one in the hospital!"

"Ugggh…"

"Quit that whining, Nick! You underwent one of the harshest of the harsh of spirit medium training! You should consider yourself proud."

"… Then why do I feel the complete opposite of that…amongst other things…"

"You're so dramatic!"

"…Me?"

Phoenix raised a crooked and tired brow at the spirit medium across from him. She was sitting in a wooden chair, leaned back, and with arms crossed tight across her chest.

"You know…" Maya mused, "It's actually kind of chilly in this room. Are you sure you'll be all right?" Maya giggled slyly and then winked. Then she outright pointed and laughed at Phoenix's scowl.

"Oh lighten up, Nick! I'm just teaaasing. It was VERY brave of you to join me under that waterfall!"

"You know I was _trying_ to be nice, right? That's why I joined you." As he said this, Phoenix shuffled further under his stiff hospital bed sheets. He winced as he did so.

"…Nice?" Maya rubbed her chin in thought, staring at a random spot on the wall.

"Y-Yeah, nice. I mean, I wouldn't want to do something like that… alone at least."

"Well… okay then yes, it was very nice of you to join me! I thank you kindly." Maya mockingly bowed her head, extending her arm generously into the air in the style of one Miles Edgeworth. Phoenix grimaced.

"…How kind of you…" Phoenix said stoically. He smiled lightly but cringed again soon after. His muscles ached and he felt very, very tired.

"I'm just kidding again! I'm serious when I say thank you." Maya's tone shifted to a more serious one and she widened her eyes, "Thank you for getting sick on me and making us have to leave training early." Maya burst into bubbling laughter once more. The pain in Phoenix's body increased for a mysterious reason.

"Urrghh…"

The spirit medium suddenly sighed and stood, walking carefully to the side of Phoenix's bed. "You really don't look so good, you know?"

"Thanks…I did-

Phoenix froze in mid-sentence when a mini spasm of pain coursed through him. He groaned and clutched his eyes shut, trying to momentarily stave off the pain of almost freezing to death.

Meanwhile, Maya was panicking besides him. "H-Hey! Don't go making faces like that, you're starting to worry me!" Phoenix thought between winces of pain, _was she not worried before? _

She looked distractedly around the room, "Aren't you supposed to be taking pain meds?..."

"W-Who knows," Phoenix moaned through clenched teeth. He began shivering.

"Oh no," Maya whispered, "Should I call a nurse?"

"I-It's okay, it's okay…Maya, relax." Phoenix's body immediately relaxed and the tension seemed to flow out of him. "See? There, I'm fine now…"

"Are you sure?" A crease of worry planted itself in the middle of Maya's forehead. She moved closer to Phoenix and examined his face. "You're still very pale… And did you always look this old?"

Phoenix sighed but smiled gently after. "You age me greatly…" He laughed.

Maya's face cleared instantly and she laughed. "There's good ol' Nick! But hey, what do you mean by that?" She huffed, her face still inches away from his.

Phoenix turned away, unable to handle the extended eye contact, "Nothing, nothing…"

"Not nothing!" Maya ran to the other side of the bed where Phoenix had turned. He flipped back over. Maya ran back again. "Hey!"

"I'm trying to rest now, Maya." He closed his eyes in mock sleep. His exhaustion suddenly took over and mock sleep became real sleep.

"Yeah right…"

Maya stood in front of Phoenix's now sleeping body. His breathing had slowly become more relaxed and even. She went near his face again and placed a tiny hand flat against his cheek. He was warm.

"I guess that's a good sign…" Maya whispered consolingly to herself. She sat back in her chair and fell asleep alongside her partner in crime.

When she awoke, there was an off-white bed sheet draped loosely over her. She yawned and scratched her eyes, noticing the lateness of the hour. Phoenix was sitting up in his bed, enjoying a meal of soup. He started when he heard Maya smack her lips.

"Are you hungry?" Nick asked tiredly.

"You bet I am!" She stretched, letting out a small groaning sound. Phoenix watched her amusedly as he downed another spoonful of soup.

"Well, there's no burgers, but I'm sure you can find something at the cafeteria that you like."

"Ugh, hospital food. That's why people end up staying here longer than needed…it's a conspiracy, Nick!"

Phoenix took another sip of the warm liquid, savoring the bland taste, "I'm going to choose to ignore you."

"Pssh!" Maya waved her hand dismissively and walked towards the window. She tugged at her coat slightly. "Hmm, is it just me or is it a little colder in here?"

"It's probably just you…" Phoenix said absentmindedly, catering to his bowl of soup.

"I'm just thinking of you, Nick! Aren't you cold? I don't want you to…" Maya looked down at the floor, scratching her toe on the cool tile, "you know… get sicker…"

Phoenix grinned at the spirit medium with a mouthful of soup. "Glad to know you care, Maya."

"Hey! That better be a joke! Of course I care!" Maya huffed, throwing her fists to the side. "Also!" She turned to her chair and picked up the rumpled sheet. "Is this yours? You can't be giving me your blankets! You need these!"

She marched to Phoenix's startled side and moved his bowl of soup out of the way, spoon still halfway to his mouth. He watched her wide-eyed as she flung the sheet over his lower body and proceeded to tuck him in.

"There!" Maya said triumphantly, "How do you feel now?" Her expression was an odd mix of pride and concern.

Phoenix jokingly patted his stomach, "A little hungry actually," eyeing his forgotten, slightly spilled, bowl of soup.

"Ugh, like a toddler," Maya mumbled, placing the bowl back in his waiting lap.

Phoenix smiled good-naturedly at his assistant as he took another spoonful. Her expression softened and she smiled brightly back.

For a moment, the pair just grinned happily at each other, the only sounds the quiet bustling of the hospital. It was a content sort of moment, one not requiring any speaking.

Maya was the first to break eye contact, turning towards the exit, "A-Ah, I better find something to eat!" She laughed nervously and opened the door to his room, "I'll be back!"

Phoenix's smile faltered for a second, surprised by her sudden departure, "Sounds good…" he spoke to an empty room.

Maya returned soon after with a fast-food package. She was beaming.

"Hey, where'd you get that?" Phoenix was long finished with his food and was now resting.

"Across the street. I didn't even know they sold burgers there!" Maya broke open the bag and immediately began stuffing her face. "Ahhh," she sighed happily, crumbs falling out of her open mouth.

"Gross! Close your mouth!" Phoenix held up a disgusted palm.

"Gou're ghust gealous!" Maya spit out, mouth still full. She coughed, almost choking, and patted herself on the chest.

"Hardly…" Phoenix smirked, watching her eat. "Did you get me anything while you were there?"

"Hah! No. You think I'm made of money?" Maya wiped her face with the sleeve of her coat.

Phoenix scowled and grumbled under his breath, "Where do you think that money comes from…"

When Maya had finished, she rubbed her stomach and expertly tossed her trash into the garbage. "Swish!" She looked out the window and saw that the sun had long disappeared below the horizon.

"Hmmm, how late is it?"

Phoenix mulled over the question for a moment before replying, "Shouldn't be too late… Why? Thinking of heading back to the office soon?"

Maya turned back to her friend, "Heading back? No way! I'm going to stay the night obviously!"

Phoenix's inquisitive face turned into a frown, "Stay the night? Where do you think you're going to sleep?"

Maya flipped her thumb back at her little wooden chair, "I've slept here before, I can do it again!" She flopped back into her seat and rubbed the armrests for effect, "Ah, home sweet home."

Phoenix merely shook his head, "No, you'll ruin your back that way. We can't afford to keep coming back to the hospital. Just share the bed. I'll scoot over."

"Why Nick!" Maya stood up, grinning coyly. "How scandalous. In bed with your female assistant!"

Phoenix immediately flushed red, "No! Not like that! I j-just mean!"

Maya was already doubled over in laughter, "Oh jeez, you are TOO easy. I'm just kidding! But, seriously," Maya straightened her posture, "Are you sure? I don't want to cramp you…" She eyed the minimal space of the hospital bed. "Besides… am I even allowed to stay over?"

Phoenix was rubbing his face, refusing eye contact with the spirit medium, "Why not? And you won't cramp me, you barely make a dent as it is…"

"Well, as long as you're sure! But it's still pretty early… what can we doooo…" Maya drew out her sentence as she scanned the room. She already had a pretty good idea in mind of what she wanted. Her eyes landed on the small television hung on the wall.

"No," Phoenix said, answering Maya's question before she asked it. She closed her mouth and pouted.

"How do you even know what I was going to say?" Maya crossed her arms.

"I wonder… it's not like there is one thing in the entire world that requires a TV and that you love more than anything…"

"What could that be…" Maya smirked, playing along. She reached into her bag and pulled out a square box. "Steel Samurai" was written across the cover.

Phoenix rolled his eyes, this came as literally no surprise to him. But he didn't fight it.

"You know…" Maya was looking up and down across the wall facing the bed. "I don't think this room has a DVD player…"

Phoenix let out a low sigh of relief, wiping his forehead jokingly.

"You got lucky this time…" Maya said threateningly but smiled again soon after. "It's okay! We can save this for when you recover!"

"I pray for a long illness…" Phoenix mumbled.

"I heard that!" Maya said, swatting him across the arm but grinning nonetheless. Their back and forth banter never ceased to amuse her.

She pulled herself onto the end of Phoenix's bed and sat on her knees. "So… how are you feeling?"

Phoenix took stock of himself and looked down at his body. He still felt a little sore and a little chilly but nothing as dramatic as earlier. He surmised he might even be well enough to go home that night.

Phoenix patted his own face, "Honestly, I feel a lot better. Must have been that soup…"

"Actually, I think it was my company that did it…"

"Nope, definitely the soup…" Phoenix smirked at Maya's annoyed expression.

Maya rolled her eyes, "Anywaaay…we never get a chance to chat like this, Nick! I feel like it has been a while."

"I think so too. I mean you _were_ locked away in…" Phoenix paused, unsure if the choice of topic was still a sensitive matter with Maya. He suspected that someone of her nature would get over it easily but at the same time, she was always full of surprises.

She continued on happily, "You're right. I was gone for a bit! And then the whole waterfall thing and here we are!" She threw out her arms, indicating Phoenix's curled up form in a hospital bed.

"I sure didn't ask to get sick!"

"Right, right. Skirting your duties as a lawyer again… typical Nick…" Maya shook her head and sighed.

"How is that even relevant? You're such a troublemaker…" Phoenix said, leaning back in his bed. He yawned.

"Tired?" Asked Maya.

"I'm always tired…" He yawned again and shivered delightedly.

The room grew quiet except for the soft hum of the hospital and the light breathing of both lawyer and spirit medium. Phoenix's breath would occasionally become hitched.

"You're not still cold are you?" Maya asked quietly.

"No, no, I'm not cold, I'm not cold. Just… getting comfortable." Phoenix eyed Maya at the end of his bed and how she clutched at her toes. She was sitting upright but leaned forward as if she wanted to move. He raised an eyebrow at her. She looked down at her fingers.

"Actually…" Phoenix began and Maya slowly lifted her head to attention, "I am a little cold…"

"You are? Me too!" Maya sprung from her position and scooted herself next to Phoenix. She shoved against his shoulder and shimmied into place. "Move over, will you?"

"…Weren't you just worrying about me having room?" Phoenix asked, all the while moving to the side of his bed.

"Haha, right, right…" Maya pulled the blanket up to her chin, "That's much better."

"Glad you're comfortable," Phoenix grumbled good-humoredly. He really was glad to see her in such fine spirits. It had been a long and arduous period for the both of them. It was nice to lay there in silence.

Phoenix was very aware of the shared heat between them, and he was conscious of their close proximity. He could feel the touch of her leg beside him when she shifted in place and let out a sigh of comfort. He blushed in spite of himself. Her breathing flowed melodically.

"Maya?" He asked in a whisper.

"Mmmm?"

"…Just seeing if you were awake still."

She let out another long breath, eyes still closed, "…Are you warm yet?"

Confused by her question, Phoenix turned a little to look Maya in the face. She held a serious look, but one dimmed slightly by sleepiness. Her eyes were half lidded and her lips turned up at the corners.

Phoenix didn't know what it was. Perhaps it was the air in the cramped hospital bed, or the stiffness of the sheets, or even the heat building in his face… but he suddenly felt rather warmer than before. His legs rustled below him, breaking Maya from her daze.

"Nick?" She sat up slightly, "What's the matter?"

"E-Err nothing," the befuddled lawyer whispered. Maya merely shrugged in response before settling back down. Phoenix took a moment to look at her.

She was there, right beside him, he realized with a sudden and stark clarity. Not in a cold cavern, not embodying the spirit of a demon, not at the bottom of a river. She was right there and not anywhere else. Her lashes were dark and her hair slightly frazzled from sleeping in a chair. There was a small crease on her forehead as if she were thinking with her eyes closed. Her lips parted as she breathed and closed again, the pink hue faded in the darkness of the room.

"Maya…" Phoenix said quietly, still watching her.

"…Yeah?" She replied, her voice thick with sleep.

"I…" Phoenix turned away, suddenly embarrassed and not knowing exactly why. "I'm really glad you're okay."

"Huh?" Maya's single eye popped open. "Where did this come from? Of course I'm okay!"

"No, I mean…" Phoenix shifted towards her. "I'm glad I didn't l-lose you. I don't know what I would have…" He gulped and looked away at the window.

"Nick…" Maya sat up in the bed, "are you okay…?"

Everything swelled and seized within him. He was vastly aware that the girl next to him could be gone at any moment and would have been gone if not for the many miracles that occurred in the past years. It was the constant worry and doubt that plagued him. There was the fear that filled him and the ease that came after. He was overwhelmed in that second, a realization of his luck and fortune and misery of all that had happened.

When he turned back around his eyes were glistening. "Maya I-"

Phoenix was cut off with a tight hug from the spirit medium next to him. Maya snuggled her face into his chest, pulling at his neck with all her might. "Nick…Nick… please don't cry. I'm here! I'm here and I'll always be there for you." She looked up at him, "I'll try not to get caught up in any more murders, all right? I won't disappear on you again." Maya smiled a tearful smile.

Phoenix laughed despite himself, rubbing a few stray tears from his cheeks. _Look at me_, he scoffed internally, _I should be the one comforting her like that… not the other way around._

"Thank you, Maya. Really, thank you." Phoenix wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her closer. He wanted her always like this. Always close at hand, never missing for too long.

"Of course…" She sighed. "You're my best friend! I'd be lost without you too, you know?"

"…That I know well actually."

"Pssh," was all she responded with, happy to just lay there in his warmth. "Ah, Nick… you're so toasty now, like a regular human being."

"Thanks, I guess…"

The pair drifted into silence, the serious moment suddenly came and passed like a dream. It was the way they were, he supposed.

It seemed like hours passed as the quiet seconds grew into minutes. The ticking of a clock was heard, a lamp flickered outside. Phoenix sighed again that night, this time rather contently. He looked to Maya, who he discovered mumbled in her sleep, and brushed a stray hair out of her face.

"Goodnight Maya," he whispered. Planting a soft kiss against her exposed forehead.

She gave a very subtle start, surprising Phoenix out of his daze. He realized suddenly that the spirit medium wasn't quite completely asleep.

_Oh jeez_, he blushed when Maya peeked out through her lashes. Instead of saying anything, she sat up silently and looked at Phoenix with hooded eyes.

"Sorr-" he began but Maya cut him off with the pressure of her lips against his. He flinched but relaxed immediately, closing his eyes and turning his head to deepen the kiss. She brought her hand to his neck as Phoenix wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed himself against her.

The pair parted after a moment, breathing heavily and both blushing and obvious red even in the darkness of the hospital room.

"U-Um…" Phoenix attempted to speak but no words occurred to him. He merely smiled sheepishly, still shocked at what had just transpired between them but not wanting to ruin the moment.

Maya fell back against his chest with a thump. "Goodnight Nick…" she murmured. Her hand twisted in his rumpled shirt.

After rubbing the back of his head for a while, Phoenix could do nothing else but smile. All the pain of getting sick from a freezing waterfall disappearing in an instant. He closed his eyes and imagined briefly how they will address what happened in the morning but didn't think too much on it.

It didn't really matter though after all. As long as she was there with him, nothing else mattered. He finally fell asleep.

* * *

**AN:** Hi, sorry, I know I have another story as a work in progress but I just had to get this one down. I've been pretty busy with college but I'm still alive and hopefully will write more drivel.

This is in celebration of the new AA game finally being released! After all these years, huh? Anyway, inspiration for this one came from always reading about Maya being sad and hurt and etc. This time, I wanted to make Nick the vulnerable one. Also I was trying to be funny but it ended up being serious anyway lol. Thanks for reading and comments are always appreciated!


End file.
